Next Detroit mayor

18 file papers to be next Detroit mayor
Poll shows Cockrel with early lead

By ZACHARY GORCHOW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • October 14, 2008

The filing deadline to run for Detroit mayor in next year’s special election passed at 4 p.m. today, and 18 candidates submitted petition signatures to place them on the ballot – including seven major political figures in the city.

Turning in their signatures today were businessman Dave Bing, Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr., Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans, Freman Hendrix, the former deputy mayor under Mayor Dennis Archer who lost the 2005 race; Sharon McPhail, a former councilwoman and general counsel to ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick; and state Rep. Coleman Young II. The Rev. Nicholas Hood III, a former councilman, filed his signatures Monday.

Two state legislators who took out petitions to run – state Rep. Shanelle Jackson and state Sen. Buzz Thomas – did not file. Former police chief Benny Napoleon, who had said he was considering running, never pulled petitions to gather signatures.


The filing activity came as the first poll of the race showed Cockrel with an early lead - but also with a considerable undecided vote. The poll of 300 registered voters, conducted between Oct. 1-4, showed Cockrel with 27% support, with businessman Dave Bing trailing at 15%. Freman Hendrix, the former deputy mayor to Mayor Dennis Archer who lost the 2005 election, came in third at 6%. Other candidates were further behind.


The poll included two people who will not be candidates in the special election - Bella Marshall, Wayne County's chief operating officer, and attorney Geoffrey Fieger. The poll had a relatively high margin of error at plus or minus 5.8 percentage points.

It was commissioned and conducted by Denno Noor Research, The Rossman Group and MIRS, a Lansing-based newsletter on state government and politics.

Evans finished filing his signatures about 9:25 a.m., but declined to discuss his plans for the city when talking to reporters afterward.


Evans said his focus is on winning re-election as sheriff in next month's election, and on helping Barack Obama win Michigan in the presidential race.


"Obviously I think there's a lot I can bring to the table," Evans said.


Young, the son of the late iconic Mayor Coleman A. Young, arrived at the clerk's office with his signatures in a crinkled brown paper bag about 10:25 a.m.


"Right now we just need someone who understands what people are going through," Young said. "Primarily it's just someone who sees their issues and gives a damn."


Cockrel arrived just after 9 a.m. to file his signatures, but had to leave after realizing he had forgotten his driver's license. He returned just before noon.


Cockrel called the poll results "extremely encouraging," but said the race is very early.


He said the number of big names in the field is because of the nature of the special election, which allows politicians to run without having to give up their existing office.
"I think there are a lot of people out there who see this as a free shot," he said.


McPhail filed her signatures at 2:10 p.m. She said she has the best credentials in the field, having served in the administration, on council and with the prosecutor's office.


"In that field, if it's about qualifications, then I win," she said.


Before today, a handful of candidates already had filed their signatures, including the Rev. Nicholas Hood III, a former city councilman, and activist Angelo Brown. Three other relative unknowns -- Charles Easterly Sr., Duane Montgomery and Jerroll Sanders -- have filed, too.


Candidates must submit at least 583 valid signatures of registered Detroit voters to make the ballot. The candidates will compete in the Feb. 24 primary with the top two finishers advancing to the May 5 general election.

Why is Evans running for Mayor if he so focused on staying elected as Sheriff?


Same goes for Coleman Young's Bastard Son!



I hope Dave Bing gets it


He has what it takes to fix up Detroit

ya detroit needs to be fixed up alittle bit

detroitwings82 wrote:

ya detroit needs to be fixed up alittle bit

Starting with tearing down the old train depot


Amazing the City wants to tear down what's left of Tiger Stadium; But the Train depot, which looks a bombed out building in Iraq or Lebanon, is allowed to stay

gs78 wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

ya detroit needs to be fixed up alittle bit

Starting with tearing down the old train depot


Amazing the City wants to tear down what's left of Tiger Stadium; But the Train depot, which looks a bombed out building in Iraq or Lebanon, is allowed to stay

I have never understood Detroit keeping the Train Depot in such disarray, yet tearing down better buildings!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

gs78 wrote:

detroitwings82 wrote:

ya detroit needs to be fixed up alittle bit

Starting with tearing down the old train depot


Amazing the City wants to tear down what's left of Tiger Stadium; But the Train depot, which looks a bombed out building in Iraq or Lebanon, is allowed to stay

I have never understood Detroit keeping the Train Depot in such disarray, yet tearing down better buildings!

I never understood the asinine stupidity of Detroit Politics

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
City commission to decide Monday if Cockrel, Hood stay on ballot
Christine Macdonald / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- City Clerk Janice Winfrey this morning told the City Council the Detroit Election Commission will meet at 2 p.m. Monday to determinewhether Kenneth Cockrel Jr. and the Rev. Nicholas Hood III can be on the ballot for the February primary for mayor.

Cockrel and Hood signed affidavits saying they were in compliance with state election laws when they submitted petitions to run in the election to finish out former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's term.

Cockrel had been cited by Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett and had owed $42,000 in fees for previous elections, but paid them.

The Rev. Nicholas Hood III, a former city councilman, had owed a $275 fine.

The commission is comprised of Winfrey, City Council President Monica Conyers and Detroit Corporation Counsel Kathleen Leavy, a Cockrel appointee.

You can reach MacDonald at cmacdonald@detnews.com

Monday, November 24, 2008
Cockrel, Hood will remain on ballot
Leonard N. Fleming / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. and former Councilman Nicholas Hood III will remain on the Feb. 24 primary ballot to complete the term of ousted Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, officials decided today.

The Detroit Elections Commission voted 2-1 to certify the 14-candidate ballot. Clerk Janice Winfrey and Corporation Counsel Kathleen Leavy favored the decision, while Council President Monica Conyers dissented.

The candidacies of Cockrel and Hood were thrown into question because both signed affidavits claiming they owed no back campaign fees. In fact, Cockrel owed $42,000 and Hood less than $500. Cockrel has since paid the fine, while Hood's penalty was waived by Wayne County clerks.

Conyers explained her dissent, saying both should have taken care of the fees before they signed the paperwork to run for office.

"He had not paid that money so he should not have been certified," Conyers said.

Earlier today, a spokesman for the county clerk confirmed that Attorney General Mike Cox has opened a formal investigation into whether Cockrel committed perjury by signing the affidavit.

Monday, November 24, 2008
Dave Bing: I'd work for free as mayor
Leonard N. Fleming / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Pistons Hall of Famer Dave Bing announced today that he'd work for free if elected mayor.

Delivering his "vision" speech to supporters at Sweet Georgia Brown, Bing said he would divert the $176,176 salary to hire more police officers.

Bing, who also is an industrialist, is one of 14 candidates on the Feb. 24 ballot to complete the term of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, which ends Dec. 31, 2009.

Amazing! seems like being crooked is almost a prerequisite for being Mayor of Detroit!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Two Detroit mayoral rivals may also owe late fines
Cockrel and Hood allowed onto ballot
Leonard N. Fleming / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. has survived a challenge to his spot on the Feb. 24 ballot, but one of the issues that got him in trouble -- reporting late contributions -- may ensnare two other contenders.

A review of Wayne County Clerk records by The Detroit News shows that if they were judged by the same standards as Cockrel, candidates Freman Hendrix and Warren Evans would owe $30,000 and $12,000 respectively for not filing state-required late contribution reports.

The revelation comes as the Detroit Election Commission on Monday voted 2-1 to put Cockrel on the ballot, along with the Rev. Nicholas Hood III. Their candidacies were challenged because they signed statements saying they owed no campaign fines when, in fact, they did. Council President Monica Conyers voted against the measure.

But Cockrel's woes may not be over. His attorney confirmed Monday that he was interviewed for an hour Thursday by two assistants to Attorney General Mike Cox as part of a perjury probe over the affidavit. Political consultant Adolph Mongo, an adviser to ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, filed the complaint with Cox.

"He lied," Mongo said. "They shouldn't certify him to be on any ballot."

Cockrel paid $42,000 in fines after Clerk Cathy Garrett refused to waive them. He's said he was given verbal assurances by clerks that the fines were forgiven.

The issue has prompted a closer scrutiny of the county clerk's handling of campaign fines. Some, such as Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel, said the clerk hasn't equally vetted all the candidates' files.

"If it is the case that people who are now running for mayor had campaign finance reports that weren't vetted the same way Ken Jr.'s campaign finance report was vetted and they're on the ballot, the whole process is really a mess and needs to be redone," said Sheila Cockrel.

Candidates are supposed to file late contribution reports to donations of more than $200 that occur between the 15th and third day before any election.

A review of records by The Detroit News showed the clerk's office doesn't always fine candidates who fail to comply.

"You're supposed to read what the regulations are so there's no excuse for not knowing," said mayoral candidate Sharon McPhail, who is the city's former general counsel. "These are bright men."

The county clerk's office, which assessed Cockrel's fines in 2006 along with other council members and Wayne County commissioners, acknowledged that files of Hendrix and Evans have not been fully examined for late campaign contributions.

"I'm not sure why these files weren't vetted," said Caven West, the county's deputy clerk. "There are thousands of files, reports that have to be generated, letters that have to be sent. We don't have the most up-to-date computer system though we're working on that now."

Terese Walton, Hendrix's sister and treasurer of his unsuccessful 2005 mayoral run, said the clerk's office assured her more than once that Hendrix's file had no outstanding issues. She doesn't remember reading the manual with the rules.

"They went through the files and said you don't have anything," Walton said. "I find it hard to believe that the county clerk did not scrub our file."

Evans said he too read the candidate manual for his re-election as sheriff four years ago, but he can't speak to his memory of that period. He said he would do whatever it takes to deal with rectifying any fees if owed.

"I'm prepared to say that if they contacted me and said we were out of compliance, then we would take the necessary steps to be in compliance," Evans said.

I hope Dave Bing wins. He seems to be in the race for the betterment of Detroit, and not his pocketbook!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Bing: I'll be mayor for free
Darren A. Nichols / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Basketball legend and mayoral hopeful Dave Bing has 10 goals for Detroit. Making money for himself isn't one of them.

The businessman promised to work for free if elected mayor and divert the $176,176 salary to hire more police officers. The promise was included in his "Vision for Detroit" presented Monday.

Among the highlights:

• Reinstituting free bus rides for seniors and disabled.

• Consolidating city jobs: "We must find the proper balance between taking more of a business approach to handling the budget and doing what we must do to invest in our people."

• Revamping the Police Department and working closely with Detroit Public Schools.

• Restoring integrity to City Hall: "I will make sure that city contracts are awarded ... on competence and cost, and I will eliminate the 'friends and family plan' and 'pay to play' rules."

• Investment in environmentally friendly technologies and an "energy-focused youth jobs program."

GO DAVE!!!

laprimamirala wrote:

Amazing! seems like being crooked is almost a prerequisite for being Mayor of Detroit!

That is why Bing won't win

gs78 wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

Amazing! seems like being crooked is almost a prerequisite for being Mayor of Detroit!

That is why Bing won't win

He could make himself look crooked

I'm cheering for him, too. I can't vote though

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

Amazing! seems like being crooked is almost a prerequisite for being Mayor of Detroit!

That is why Bing won't win

He could make himself look crooked

I'm cheering for him, too. I can't vote though

Me,too

ya they do need to clean up detroit alot... i know alot of people that take trips to detroit for wings games and lions games... they said that you could be in a good part of detroit then all of a sudden you move right into the horrible part with out even knowing it. They also need to tear down.. i dont know what the name of the place but in like a round the outskirts there is a massive building it was likea old tire or car factory that is vacant. and the fondation is horrible i seen it in a doc of detroit or something like that!